Current:Home > MyWatch as hero North Carolina dad saves toddler daughter from drowning in family pool -AssetVision
Watch as hero North Carolina dad saves toddler daughter from drowning in family pool
View
Date:2025-04-16 10:54:04
A North Carolina father is being hailed a hero after dramatic video shows him saving his 2 1/2 year-old daughter's life after she stopped breathing in a family's swimming pool.
The frightening scene took place over Memorial Day weekend in the city of Gastonia, a city about 20 miles east of Charlotte.
Home video surveillance released by the Gastonia Police Department shows the toddler's father, identified as Matthew Shortridge, jump in the pool, pull her out and perform CPR on the toddler.
"My 10-year-old daughter... is screaming out my youngest daughter's name: 'Mila! 'And she just screamed it really loud. I looked, turned around and saw my 2 1/2 year-old daughter, Mila floating and I jumped in," her father recalled of the May 27th incident.
3-year-old found drowned in Kansas:Missing toddler in foster care found dead in waterway near home
'I just felt completely helpless'
The girl's mother, Amy Shortridge, said she "felt completely hopeless" when she learned her daughter stopped breathing.
"How could this happen? How am I going to live my life with my baby being gone," Shortridge says in a video clip released by police on X. "When I got there and knelt beside of her... she was completely blue and gray.
Someone called 911.
"The baby fell in the pool," an unidentified frantic woman tells a dispatcher in a 911 call released by police listened to by USA TODAY.
'Her stomach was filled with air'
Mila's father and an unidentified nurse at the scene then began CPR police, said, and eventually, Mila's father said, he was able to get his daughter to start breathing again.
"Her stomach was filled with air, I got her up and I was going to try and express the air by beating on her back and when I did she did release the air and she started to cry," her father recalled.
The toddler was transported to a hospital and police posted on X that she has made a full recovery.
Two dead in Florida waters:Hutchinson Island rip current drowns Pennsylvania couple vacationing
'Know CPR, use life vests and have a plan'
The police department reported nine out of 10 children between ages 1 and 14 were under supervision when they died.
"Our rule now is going to be an adult, myself or my husband is in the water playing with the children or interacting with them," the toddler's mother said.
"The Gastonia Police Department wants all families, everywhere, to be cautious at pools, lakes, and beaches," the department posted on X. "Know CPR, use life vests, and have a plan."
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
veryGood! (42296)
Related
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- Texas prison system’s staffing crisis and outdated technology endanger guards and inmates
- North Carolina town that produces quartz needed for tech products is devastated by Helene
- Jury at officers’ trial in fatal beating of Tyre Nichols hears instructions ahead of closings
- The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
- The 'girl dinner,' 'I'm just a girl' memes were fun, but has their moment passed?
- FBI will pay $22.6 million to settle female trainees' sex bias claims
- Bills' Von Miller suspended for four games for violating NFL conduct policy
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- Court says betting on U.S. congressional elections can resume, for now
Ranking
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- The 'girl dinner,' 'I'm just a girl' memes were fun, but has their moment passed?
- Why Jason Kelce Is Jokingly Calling Out Taylor Swift Fans
- FACT FOCUS: A look at false and misleading claims during the vice presidential debate
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- FBI will pay $22.6 million to settle female trainees' sex bias claims
- Firefighters battle blaze at Wisconsin railroad tie recycling facility
- Atlanta rapper Rich Homie Quan died from an accidental drug overdose, medical examiner says
Recommendation
Trump's 'stop
Daniel Day-Lewis Returning to Hollywood After 7-Year Break From Acting
ChatGPT maker OpenAI raises $6.6 billion in fresh funding as it moves away from its nonprofit roots
California lawmakers advance bill to prevent gas prices from spiking
Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
Killer Whales in Chile Have Begun Preying on Dolphins. What Does It Mean?
Condoms aren’t a fact of life for young Americans. They’re an afterthought
Maryland governor aims to cut number of vacant properties in Baltimore by 5,000